Dry chemical applicator for oil wells



Dec. 8, 1964 c. B. BREWER 3,160,210

DRY CHEMICAL APPLICATOR FOR OIL WELLS Filed April 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Fig.

50 96 Clyde 8. Brewer 92 I L02 g INVENTOR.

i -W 90 98 I00 7 BY 8M5?! Dec. 8, 1964 c. B. BREWER 3,160,210

DRY CHEMICAL APPLICATOR FOR OIL WELLS Filed April 5, 1962 42 2 ha: 36 4aA A /A\\\ A Clyde 8. Brewer INVENTOR.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,169,210 DRY CHEMICAL APPLICATGR FOR OIL WELLS ClydeB. Brewer, 424 2nd St. W., Roundup, Mont.

Filed Apr. 5, 1962, er. No. 185,413 Claims. (Cl. 166-45) This inventioncomprises a novel and useful dry chemical applicator for oil wells andmore particularly pertains to an apparatus which is manually operable toeffect intermittent or continuous applications of a dry chemical agentin measured quantities into the well casing head of a flowing orproducing oil well.

It is frequently desirable to inject or introduce measured quantities ofa chemical agent and particularly of a dry chemical in pelletized orpowdered form into a well casing during the flowing or producing of thewell without the necessity for discontinuing production from the wellduring such injection. Such injection, however, requires the forcibleintroduction of the treating agent in opposition to the pressureprevailing within the well casing. Further, it is obviously necessary toprevent the pressure of the flowing well from passing backward throughthe chemical introducing device thereby detrimentally aifecting theoperation of the latter.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide amechanically operated device for effecting the forcible injections ofchemicals and particularly a dry chemical into the casing head of aflowing or producing Well in readily controlled quantities.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device in accordancewith the foregoing objects wherein the positive action of an auger screwmay be beneficially and satisfactorily employed as the injecting means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device in conformitywith the foregoing objects which shall reduce the pressure required tointroduce the treating agent by equalizing the well pressure on bothsides of the treating agent in the hopper and in the injecting device.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus inconformity with the preceding objects which shall be of simpleconstruction and one which will permit ready and easy servicing,inspection or repairs as may be necessary.

Still another purpose of the invention is to provide an injecting devicein accordance with the foregoing objects which will be quickly andeasily cut off from communication with the well casing head Wheneversuch action is desirable.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter ice struction of manual operatingmeans for the injector; and

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the arrangement of FIGURE 5.

In the accompanying drawings, the chemical agent injecting apparatus isindicated generally by the numeral 10 and is shown in FIGURE 2 as beingoperatively con nected to the well casing head 12 of the casing 14 of aflowing or producing oil well. Thiscasing head is of any conventionalcharacter and may consist of the usual Christmas tree if desired. Shownat 16 is the tubing string extending through the casing head 12 and bymeans of which fluid is produced from the well.

Disposed between the tubing string 16 and the well casing 14 is anannulus or cylindrical space 18 therebetween and which constitutes thechamber into which a chemical treating agent such as a solid or drychemical in pelletized or granular form as shown at 20 is to becontrollably introduced or injected.

FIGURE 2 illustrates one of numerous suitable methods and manners bywhich the injector 19 may be operatively associated with the well inorder to forcibly introduce charges of the chemical treating agent 2%thereinto. As shown in this figure, the casing head 12 is provided witha threaded bore or passage 2 therethrough in which bore is mounted theinjector and through which bore is introduced the chemical treatingagent in the manner illustrated.

The dry chemical applicator or injecting device comprises a tubularelongated housing 24 which may conveniently be of cylindricalconfiguration and which in the arrangement shown in FIGURE 2 is disposedhorizontally and is threadedly engaged in the bore 22 at one extremityof this housing. At its other end, the housing is provided with aninternally threaded closure member in the form of an end cap 26 whichmay conveniently be provided with oppositely extending rods 28comprising handles by which the cap may be applied to or removed fromthe outer open end of the housing. At about its mid portion,

. there rises from the housing a hollow member 30 comdescribed andclaimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View showing a preferred embodiment ofinjecting apparatus in accordance with the principles of this invention,the same being shown removed from its operative connection with an oilwell or other pressure containing conduit into which a chemical is to beinjected;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section andshowing a preferred manner in which the injector of this invention isoperatively connected to the well casing head of a flowing or producingoil well;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional detail view taken upon an enlargedscale substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a further detail view in vertical transverse section takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4--4 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view taken from the right end of FIGURE 2but showing a modified conprising a hopper and constituting a containerfor storing and for dispensing the dry chemical 20. Conveniently, themember 30 may be cylindrical as shown in FIGURE 1 and may be welded orotherwise fixedly secured to the housing 24 upon the upper surfacethereof and intermediate the ends of the housing. This hopper mayobviously be of any desired size and at its upper end is externallythreaded to receive an internally threaded closure 32. This closure hassecured to its upper end a hollow bushing or housing 34 provided with apacking gland 36 whereby a suitable packing material or seal as at 37may be compressively engaged about the stem 38 of a follower or piston40 which is slidably received within the hopper. The outer end of thisstem is provided with a handle or hand grip as at 42 to permit liftingor raising of the follower against the force of a spring 44 which isabutted against the closure 32 and against the top surface of thefollower 40 to yieldingly urge the latter downwardly in the hopper andthus to yieldingly urge the granular or dry chemical agent 20 from thehopper into the housing 24.

A conduit 46 has its opposite ends continuously communicating with theinterior of the housing 24 between the hopper and the casing head andwith the upper end of the hopper above the follower 40 so that thepressure prevailing in the well casing will be transmitted through thehousing and may be applied to the top surface of the follower 40. Thereis thus an equalization of pressures upon the opposite faces of the bodyof the chemical treating agent to be introduced into the well wherebythe action of the injector and of the spring 44 may be more effectivefor introducing the chemical agent into the well.

of the auger shaft 50 extends through the end cap or.

closure 26 and upon its exterior protruding end is provided with amanual operating means such as a handwheel 54 having a handle 56thereon.

Received in the end cap 26 is a journal bearing member 58 together witha packing or sealing member 60 so as to journal the end of the augershaft and to also effectively prevent the passage of fluid pressure fromthe well casing backwardly through the housing and through this end cap.To facilitate this sealing action there is provided a plate or disk 62welded or otherwise secured to the extremity of the housing 24 andagainst which the packing 60 is forced by the action of the internallythreaded end cap 26.

It will thus be apparent that when it is desired to remove the auger itis merely necessary to unscrew the end :ap 26 by means of the handle 28whereupon the auger and the end cap are removed as a unit through theopen end of the housing. In a similar manner, removal of the :losure cap32 of the hopper is effected to remove the hopper follower 40 and thespring 44 therewith to thus recharge the hopper with the material 20 asmay be desired.

A manually operable cut-oif means or shut-off valve is providedconsisting of a valve body member 70 which is zhreadedly engaged uponthe two adjacent aligned secions of the housing 24. Thus, this body hasinternally :hreaded tubular diametrically oppositely extending 305868 72and 74 which are respectively engaged upon the t ma1ly threaded. xtr miies 76 t he m housing portion 254 and 78 of h end h us ng po 0 the atterbeing threaded int th bor 22 "as p ly men- :ioned. The sections and thetubular bosses are in alignnent so that the auger may be readilyreceived there- :hrough. Received Within the shut-off valve housing or)ody is a vertically slidable gate. valve 82 operated by a randwheel 84and Whose efieet is such that it may be Iertically shifted upwardly anddownwardly to open or :lose the passage through the housing. For thispurpose, he valve 82 includes an orifice or slot 86 therethrough of:uflicient width to receive the shaft 50, while the auger light 52 isterminated on opposite sides of this gate valve.

The arrangement is such that w h th gate val in i 'aised position, full,flow through the valve is permitted vhile when the valve is lowered,flow is substantially cut- )fi. Inasmuch as the details of the gate'valve assembly in hemselves form no part of the invention claimedherein, 1 further description of the same is deemed to be unnecesary.

In lieu of the manually operated wheel 54, there may be arovided aratchet operating mechanism for effecting conrolled movement of theauger. Thus, as shown in FIG- JRE 5, the extending end of the augershaft 50 may have ixedly secured thereto a ratchet wheel 90 and may haveoosely journaled thereon the extremity 92 of a lever 94 laving anoperating 96. This lever in l d a spring lrged ratchet pawl 98 carriedby a. pivot 100 and urged y spring 102 into engagement with the ratchet90. The trrangement is such that when an oscillating movement impartedto the lever 94, the ratchet pawl 98 will in urn effect a step-by-stepmovement of the auger itself.

Regardless of whether the ratchet means of FIGURES and 6 or the handoperated wheel 54 of FIGURES 14 ,re employed, there is thus efiected astep-by-step rotation f the auger which will thereby enable measured andconrolled quantities of the chemical treating agent to be orciblyinjected into the annulus 18 of a flowing or pro- 4 ducing oil welleither continuously or intermittently as desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not deired to limit theinvention to the exact construction and operation shown and described,and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may beresorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a well casing head, an oil well applicator comprisingan injector housing connected to and communicating with said well casinghead, an injector movablvdisposed in said housing and movable todischarge material from the latter into said well casing head, a hopper forcontaining a chemical agent having continuous communication with saidhousing, a. spring loaded follower slidable in said hopper and foryieldably urging chemical agent from the hopper into said housing, meansclosing said hopper behind said follower to the atmospherefa conduitconnected to said housing and to said hopper and establishingcommunication with said well casing head through said housing and withsaid hopper behind said follower for equalizing fluid pressure onopposite sides of said follower, means for effecting controlled matcrialdischarging movement of said injector.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said injector comprises an augerrotatably mounted in said housing and delivering a chemical agent fromsaid hopper into said well casing head, said hopper communicating withthe interior of said housing intermediate the ends of said auger. i

3. The combination of claim 1 including a control valve disposed in saidhousing and controlling flow therethrough between said hopper and thewell casing head.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means closing said hoppercomprises a removable closure, said follower including a stem slidablymounted in said closure and removable from said hopper with saidclosure.

5. The combination of claim 4 including a compression spring surroundingsaid stern and abutted against said follower and closure.

6, The combination of claim 1 wherein said injector is rotatable and hasone end protruding from said housing, manual operating means connectedto said protrudng end. Y Y

7. The comhinatin of claim 6 wherein said operating means includes aratchet Wheel secured to said protruding end, a lever having a ratchetpawl operatively en.- gaging said ratchet wheel.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said injector comprises an augarrotatably mounted in said housing, said hopper communicating with theinterior of said housing intermediate the ends of said auger, saidhousing having an end cap removably engaged on one end thereof, saidauger having a shaft projecting through said end cap.

9. The combination of claim 8 including a journal bearing and a packingmeans for said auger shaft disposed in said end cap.

10. The combination of claim 1 wherein said conduit has one end thereofcommunicating with the interior of said housing downstream of saidhopper and the other conduit end communicating with the interior of saidhopper behind the chemical agent therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS960,081 Fearon et a1 May 31, 1910 2,163,436 Raymond et al June 20, 19392,504,787 Bailey Apr. 18, 1950 2,961,045 Stogner et al. Nov. 22, 1960

1. IN COMBINATION, A WELL CASING HEAD, AN OIL WELL APPLICATOR COMPRISINGAN INJECTOR HOUSING CONNECTED TO AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID WELL CASINGHEAD, AN INJECTOR MOVABLY DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING AND MOVABLE TODISCHARGE MATERIAL FROM THE LATTER INTO SAID WELL CASING HEAD, A HOPPERFOR CONTAINING A CHEMICAL AGENT HAVING CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITHSAID HOUSING, A SPRING LOADED FOLLOWER SLIDABLE IN SAID HOPPER AND FORYIELDABLY URGING CHEMICAL AGENT FROM THE HOPPER INTO SAID HOUSING, MEANSCLOSING SAID HOPPER BEHIND SAID FOLLOWER TO THE ATMOSPHERE, A CONDUITCONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING AND TO SAID HOPPER AND ESTABLISHINGCOMMUNICATION WITH SAID WELL CASING HEAD THROUGH SAID HOUSING AND WITHSAID HOPPER BEHIND SAID FOLLOWER FOR EQUALIZING FLUID PRESSURE ONOPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FOLLOWER, MEANS FOR EFFECTING CONTROLLED MATERIALDISCHARGING MOVEMENT OF SAID INJECTOR.